Focus@will Site Uses Music to Boost Concentration

Below:

Next story in Tech and gadgets

We listen to music for lots of reasons, from relaxing to getting
energized. But can it also be a productivity tool? Focus@will, a
new online music service, says it can.

The service creates playlists that the company claims will soothe
your limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for
emotion. With these playlists, Focus@will says it can help you
extend your concentration from stretches of 20 to 30 minutes to
100 minutes.

In testing, we found that it very well might, or maybe there's
just a placebo effect. Either way, once we found the right
channel, it certainly doesn't get in the way of getting things
done.

The
free service, currently in open beta testing (anyone can try
it), is as simple as turning on the radio. After you create an
account, you choose from eight styles of music: classical, focus
spa, up tempo, alpha chill, acoustical, jazz, cinematic and
ambient. Push play and go to work. You'll hear a series of
instrumental songs, commercial free and without interruption.
[See also:
Reebok's New Spotify App Tunes Up Your Workout ]

The basic interface is intentionally bare, showing only the song
name and artist. You can pause or skip, as well as like a song.
The idea is to start the music and forget about it. If you are
paying attention to the music, Focus@will isn't working.

On first use, we needed to focus on the music more to get the
service to work best. Selecting the right genre takes some
experimentation. You don't want to choose music you usually
listen to, because that will engage your emotions too much and
distract you. So if you like classical music, try the ambient
channel. For us, the cinematic and focus spa channels seemed to
blend into the background best.

As with
Pandora, you can refine the playlists by skipping songs that
take your focus away from your work and liking ones that help
you. It will learn from your preferences. With a little upfront
time, you'll soon find a channel that blends inconspicuously into
the background.

You also want to keep the volume down. Focus@will encourages
playing it so that, even with headphones on, you can still hear
people talking. When the music is too loud, we found that it was
more distracting then helpful.

The player could stand further enhancement. For example,
Focus@will suggests you take a break every 100 minutes, but the
player doesn't show how long you've been listening. Since you
have to make adjustments to get the most out of the service, new
users would benefit from a tutorial about the player at the
beginning.

The company admits that the approach won't work for everyone. It
said its research showed the playlists improved concentration for
two out of three people.

But those minor quibbles don't take away from a rather unique
tool. If you've ever craved background music that won't get in
your way, give Focus@will a try.